I recently had the great joy of seeing They Shall Not Grow Old in the movie theatre. Have you seen it? Director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) took old World War I footage from the Imperial War Museum and worked some magic with it—slowing down and smoothing out the shaky recordings, then colorizing much […]

Some of you have visited me during my various appearances as Florence Nightingale at bookstores and conferences, and I am very grateful for your attendance. I have been asked about my research for this role, and I’m happy to share it first with my newsletter readers.

I know you’re a reader and that often means you’re reading anywhere, whenever your time permits. (I do this, too.) I want to see where you take Florence Nightingale on vacation over the coming months. So, I’m asking a small favor: share your photos with me.

The causes of the Crimean War (1853-1856) were complicated, as they usually are. During the years leading up to the war, France, Russia and Britain were all competing for influence in the Middle East, particularly with Turkey. In addition, Russia was angry with Turkey over the maltreatment of Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire. […]

In the 1850’s Sidney & Elizabeth Herbert were the political power couple of their time. Sidney was the Secretary of War during the Crimean War, and Elizabeth was his ardent supporter. Together, they brought forward a young nurse named Florence Nightingale to rescue the Crimean debacle, and the course of nursing was changed forever. […]